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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Food for Thought, Thanks to Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophical work, La Gaya Scienza, has one powerful piece (341: The Greatest Weight) that really makes you think - you just instantly want to pause for a moment and look at your life from a very different angle. I can also see a strong connection to the gratitude theory here. What do you think, do you see it too?

“What, if some day or night a demon were to steal after you in your loneliest loneliness and say to you: "This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence — even this spider and this moonlight between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again — and you with it, speck of dust!" Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him: "You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!" If this thought gained possession of you, it would change you as you are or perhaps crush you; the question in each and every thing, "Do you desire this once more, and innumerable times more?" would lie upon your actions as the greatest weight! Or how well disposed would you have to become to yourself and to life to crave nothing more fervently than this ultimate eternal confirmation and seal?”

I love that you saw the connection, and as I read it I felt the shadow of all of this life's most painful moments and thought--how amazing it would be to live them all over again. I also see a connection to Ground Hog Day, but that's another post, lol.

Can I digest this for 3 days and then get back to you??? This is intense and so onpoint.

Your last comment was hilarious, please know I would never make fun of someone and post their picture if they had just passed away moments later!!! haha, not laughing at that situation, just your comment :)